


Variables

by MoonySideDown



Series: Batbrats [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 23:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11770569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonySideDown/pseuds/MoonySideDown
Summary: It's not fair, she thinks, that someone of such questionable loyalties could be so immediately and aggressively attractive. Spending any more time with him than that walk home would probably be a very bad idea, and lead to all kinds of trouble.But she couldn't pretend she wasn't weak for his almost-growl of a voice and his cocky little smirk.





	Variables

Gotham was, at best, a unique place to live. Most of the time it was like any other city, with its ups and downs, petty crime here and there but overall pleasant. The people were mostly friendly and hospitable, willing to help, and cheerful. 

Like any other city, it also had a dark side. It just so happened that Gotham's dark side was very dark, very persistent, and incredibly unpredictable. If a person was careful, and aware of where they went and when, they might never be confronted with the darkest parts of Gotham personally. But there were things no one could ever imagine or prepare for, and that was what made living there dangerous.

Rebecca had lived in Gotham for almost her entire life. She'd lived in an orphanage in downtown Gotham as a child, then moved on to a woman's shelter when she'd been unceremoniously 'dismissed' when she turned eighteen. Now, four years later, living in a simple apartment with her two closest friends, she feels like she understands Gotham.

And now she understands she has probably just made a mistake.

She meant to run in to the library, return her books and get a few new ones, then head home before more than an hour had passed. Instead she'd gotten engrossed in a book and stayed until the kindly old librarian reminded her for the fourth time they were closing. Now it's almost midnight, and the streets are deserted.

Deserted streets in Gotham don't mean you're alone. They just make it easier for the things in the shadows to see you.

She feels watched, and she doesn't know how much of it is her imagination, so she just takes a deep breath, tightens her hold on the one backpack strap over her shoulder, and walks quickly towards her apartment building.

Stray cats fight in an alleyway. A car horn honks impatiently a few streets over. The night is as dark as ever, except for the weak orangey light falling limply on the pavement from the streetlamps. The air is clammy and still, a slight mist beginning to drift into the streets.

While she walks she keeps to the side of the sidewalk closest to the street, walking heel to toe on the very edge, trying to stay away from the shaded alleyways between the old buildings. She passes one and notices a small huddle of men in the shadows and hurries even more, her heart leaping into her throat, hoping they didn't notice her pass.

A few seconds later she hears what sounds like a shoe on the pavement behind her, and she's sure her worst fears are coming true and the men are coming after her, but when she spins around defensively, no one's there.

She walks backwards for a few steps, frowning at the empty sidewalk behind her. Great, now I'm hearing things. Way to be paranoid.

Rolling her eyes at herself, she adjusts the strap on her shoulder and then turns to walk straight. Only to run into what feels like a wall.

She stumbles backwards, barely keeping her balance, heart leaping back into overdrive because the wall tried to grab her when she hit it and she's sure she about to be attacked.

Her heart doesn't slow down at all when she gets a look at what she hit. Or rather, who she hit.

Most people who don't live in Gotham tend to assume that all Gothamites are on a first-name basis with The Batman and meet Nightwing for coffee on Thursdays. In reality, few people even get to see the famous vigilantes, much less talk to them...or walk into them while just trying to get home.

She once saw Nightwing leap across the roof on the other side of the street from her apartment, and that had been a thrill. Now the Red Hood is standing on the sidewalk in front of her, one hand out like he wants to help her steady herself, and she isn't sure thrilled is the right word to describe her feelings.

“You all right?” He asks, and his voice is deep and rough even though she can tell he's trying to speak gently. He's at least a foot taller than her, and seems to be built like a tank. His dark clothing and leather jacket only serve to make him look larger, and it's all topped off with his shining metallic red helmet reflecting the streetlights. She can see at least two guns in the holsters on his thighs, and she wonders what else he might have hidden elsewhere on his person.

A short, nervous laugh escapes her in a rush. “Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to crash into you like that, are you okay?”

“I think I'll make it.” He says, and she wonders if she imagined that amused lilt to his voice, it's hard to tell with the slight distortion of the helmet. “Takes more than a little thing like you to take me down.”

“Little?” She crosses her arms, smirking up at him playfully. “Fight me, dude, I'll take you out.”

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. “Nah, I wouldn't want to get hurt.”

“That's what I thought.”

In one large step he moves out of her way and gestures for her to continue on her way. “It's awfully late to be out walking all alone.”

She hesitates briefly, then passes him in a rush. “Yeah, well, I didn't mean to be out this late. I was at the library and got distracted...for like four hours.”

He falls into step easily beside her, letting out a soft 'hmm' of understanding. Though he's left a respectful distance between them, it still leaves her feeling...unsure.

The Red Hood's true loyalties were a topic of hot debate among those in Gotham who followed that kind of thing. On one hand, he's definitely been seen working with Batman and the assorted crowd who comes with him. But on the other hand, it's suspected that he has some sort of deal with the drug dealers in the city and profits at least a bit from their activities. He's a wild card in an unpredictable city, and now he's walking easily and calmly beside her as if they were friends.

She pauses, and he continues for a few steps before pausing to look back at her.

“Don't you have, like, some robbers to go beat up or something?”

“Hm?”

“Isn't that what you guys do at night?” She smiled a little uncertainly, tilting her head.

He shrugged. “Sometimes. Fortunately, making sure cute girls get home safely is also a part of the job description.”

His words caught her off guard and she felt her cheeks warm immediately, so she turned away, laughing briefly more out of surprise than anything else. She'd been called 'cute' before, but only by her friends. Hearing it from a tall, muscular stranger was definitely different.

Once she found her voice again she turned back to him, hoping the perpetually dark city and the murky light of the streetlamps would hide the color in her face. “Wow, okay, so that's how it is.” She starts walking again, and he falls back into step beside her. “I guess we'd better make sure you do a good job, then, huh?”

For a short time she considers having him walk her to a different apartment building, and then continuing to her own once he leaves, but they start talking on the way. He asks once about the books she's reading, and she starts gushing about her favorite books the entire way until she sees the stoop of her apartment building getting close.

“This is me.” She says, nodding to the building with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I was babbling the whole way, wasn't I?”

“Don't apologize, I can always use book recommendations.”

She walks up the wide stone steps and he stays at the bottom, crossing his arms and watching her go up. “Well I always have plenty, if you ever need more.”

“I just might take you up on that, Red.”

She stops on the landing and looks back down at him, a little surprised.

“Maybe I could come see you sometime, and you can give me some more suggestions?”

For a moment she stares at him, unsure if he's really asking what she thinks he is. Is he asking to see her again? She had assumed he'd been annoyed by her talking, babbling on at a hundred miles an hour about fantasy and science fiction and plot holes and characters. “Really?”

He tilts his head. “If you're okay with it.”

“Yeah, that sounds great!” She answers too quickly and blushes immediately. Trying to play it off and be cool, she leans against the stone railing on the side of the stoop. “But, y'know, I don't typically make plans with guys whose faces I've never even seen.”

She means it as just a joke, but after only a heartbeat's hesitation he reaches up and pulls the helmet off.

He's wearing a domino mask, like any other Gotham vigilante, that hides his eyes and most of the upper part of his face. His hair is messy, becoming even more so when he runs his fingers through it to dispel the slight helmet-hair effect, and it's dark color is interrupted by a startlingly bright white streak right in the front of his head. There are a few scars on his face, but it doesn't make what she can see of it any less handsome.

He rests his helmet under his arm, tilts his head slightly, and offers her a subtle smirk that makes her heart start racing immediately.

“Well?”

It's not fair, she thinks, that someone of such questionable loyalties could be so immediately and aggressively attractive. Spending any more time with him than that walk home would probably be a very bad idea, and lead to all kinds of trouble.

But she couldn't pretend she wasn't weak for his almost-growl of a voice and his cocky little smirk.

“Well,” She starts slowly, turning away to try and give her heart a break before it burst right out of her chest, “I suppose I could make some time if you wanted to drop by.”

He smiles then, and when she catches a glimpse of it she feels a little like she just got shot in the heart. This is bad. “I guess I'll see you around, then, Red.” And the jerk winks at her.

Somehow she manages to keep her composure, even smile back at him, before turning and unlocking the heavy front door of the building. Once she's inside and the door is closed, she turns to press her back against it and covers her face with both hands.

She squeals as quietly as possible into her palms, smiling like a dork in the empty, dimly lit and stuffy hallway.

Gotham is a strange, wild, and often unpredictable place. But 'unpredictable', tonight, had meant something totally different. For the first time in a long time, it finally meant something good.


End file.
